Known tape printing apparatus of the type with which the present invention is generally concerned are disclosed in EP-A-322918 and EP-A-322919 (Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha) and EP-A-267890 (Varitronics). These tape printing apparatus each include a cassette receiving bay for receiving a cassette or tape holding case. In EP-A-267890, the tape holding case houses an ink ribbon and a substrate tape, the latter comprising an upper image receiving layer secured to a backing layer by an adhesive. In EP-A-322918 and EP-A-322919, the tape holding case houses an ink ribbon, a transparent image receiving tape and a double-sided adhesive tape which is secured at one of its adhesive coated sides to the image receiving tape after printing and which has a backing layer peelable from its other adhesive coated side. With both these apparatus, the image transfer medium (ink ribbon) and the image receiving tape (substrate) are in the same cassette.
The present applicants have developed a different type of tape printing apparatus which is described for example in EP-A-578372, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. In this printing apparatus, the substrate tape is similar to that described in EP-A-267890 but is housed in its own tape holding case while the ink ribbon is similarly housed in its own tape holding case.
The known tape printing apparatus have input means, for example a keyboard, to allow the user to input an image to be printed. A display is generally also provided to display the input image or messages to the user. A cutting arrangement is provided to separate the image receiving tape on which an image has been printed from the supply of image receiving tape to thereby define a label.
In these known tape printing apparatus, the image receiving tape passes in overlap with the ink ribbon through a print zone consisting of a fixed print head and a platen against which the print head can be pressed to cause an image to transfer from the ink ribbon to the image receiving tape. This is usually done by thermal printing where the print head is heated and the heat causes ink from the ink ribbon to be transferred to the image receiving tape. This type of printing is known as thermal transfer printing. Alternatively, the print head may be in direct contact with a thermally sensitive image receiving tape whereby when the print head is heated, an image is printed directly on the image receiving tape. This type of printing is known as direct thermal printing.
In EP-A-661163 (Smith Corona), a tape printer is used in combination with a slot-in type cassette. The printhead is privotally fixed to the housing of the tool and interacts with a platen provided in the cassette. Since the printhead is spring biased towards the platen, it is capable of urging the cassette out of the printer, when the latches holding the cassette are released. The motor of this tape printer is located beside the cassette, but in a plane below the cassette, and is connected to the platen provided in the cassette by means of a gear train, parts of which being located below the cassette, as well.
EP-A-752321 (Esselte NV) discloses a tape printer in which the motor is located in approximately the same plane as the tape supply, however most parts of the gear train are located below the tape supply. A bevel gear is used for altering the direction of driving torque by 90.degree..
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,960 (Alps) also discloses a tape printer in which the motor is located beside the tape supply, and most parts of the gear train are located below the tape supply.